The town of Garner is hoping a new roundabout will help improve congestion on White Oak Road for a growing population, but neighbors have concerns about traffic and safety hazards resulting from its construction.

Commuters say the town’s traffic management plan, approved by the Department of Transportation, funnels cars onto the same roads around the construction site, creating a traffic nightmare.

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“The detour was not well-thought out, especially during peak times,” said Garner resident Jatrin Headen.

One of the detours takes cars through Bryan Road, which curves through Bryan Elementary School and South Garner High School.

“I’m just concerned about the start of the traditional schools on August 25,” said Garner resident Donna Sides. “There’s nowhere for these parents and teenage drivers to go for carpooling, and even the buses.”

Some neighbors said they’ve also witnessed more crashes as cars try to turn from Bryan Road onto the heavily traveled White Oak Road during peak hours.

Garner police have responded to five crashes in the areas around Bryan, White Oak and Ackerman Roads since June 16, when roads first closed for the roundabout’s construction. That data doesn’t include crashes within the construction zone itself, which is the state’s jurisdiction.

A spokesperson for the town of Garner said they’ve notified the State Highway Patrol about the public’s safety concerns for that area.

On Friday, a Garner police officer was guiding traffic for cars turning from Bryan Road to White Oak Road.

There are solutions being discussed between Garner, DOT officials and the project’s contractor to improve safety in the area, but there’s some red tape.

One of the proposed fixes is a temporary stoplight at the intersection of Bryan Road and White Oak.

“The Town and NCDOT are in agreement about the need for a  temporary signal,” said a Garner spokesperson. “The contractor's traffic engineer is now tasked with signal design, which involves the timing cycles of the signals.”

A signal design would need to be approved by DOT. There’s currently no timeline on when that could be complete.

You can find details on the current DOT-approved detours here. Updates on the roundabout project can be found here.